PREMIER ISSUE
ISSUE 1 • 2018
A CURATED DIRECTORY FOR
CSE-LISTED COMPANIES PLUS
5
POWERPOINT TIPS
HARNESSING SOCIAL MEDIA TO REACH RETAIL INVESTORS
ARE YOU PROTECTED AGAINST CYBER SECURITY ATTACKS?
CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1 | 1
MESSAGE FROM THE CSE W
elcome to the first ever CSE Services Provider magazine! This is the refresh edition to our inaugural publication and is your guide to a plethora of third-party service providers that offer special services and/ or discounts to any company that is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange. It is our hope that you will find this guide useful in building your toolkit for success as you determine the services and personnel needed to achieve your goals as a public company. It is important to note that we have worked hard BARRINGTON to compile a group of service providers that has MILLER relevant experience and capabilities needed to help Director - Listed Company Services early-stage public companies. With that in mind, CSE - Canadian Securities Exchange you will find a selection of companies that may cover critical gaps for your organization, including areas such as: Accounting, Governance, Investor Relations, Media & Communications, Research & Intelligence, News Dissemination, Trust and Transfer Agency, and Market Access. Sprinkled throughout this issue are several articles that have been submitted by our partners. These articles cover a wide-range of topics, many of which offer specific tactics or insights that you can employ to enhance your success as a listed company. We welcome your suggestions for additional topics to be covered in future issues. Speaking of which, we will be distributing this publication digitally on a quarterly basis, and printing it semi-annually. You can expect to see this publication in our offices across Canada as well as at many of the dozens of events that CSE is involved with throughout the year. We also want to thank the service providers featured in this publication for their support of this initiative—this is all possible as result of their engagement and willingness to work with us on our inaugural issue. Finally, if you are a service provider that is not listed in the magazine, we encourage you to get in touch and tell us how you would like to be involved. Email me directly at barrington.miller@thecse.com or call us at our Toronto office at (416) 572-2000.
®
PUBLISHER Uptick Mail Inc. #317—1489 Marine Dr. West Vancouver, BC Canada V7T 1B8 1 (604) 202-7841 GROUP PUBLISHER Terry Tremaine terryttremaine@gmail.com EDITOR IN CHIEF James Black GRAPHIC DESIGN Vanessa Fryer Free Digital Subscription Published by Uptick Mail Inc. on behalf of the Canadian Securities Exchange. To receive your complimentary subscription, please visit www.thecse.com and complete the contact form.
Sincerely, Barrington Miller Director - Listed Company Services CSE - Canadian Securities Exchange
6 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
www.thecse.com @CSE_News
www.vested.ca Vested Technology Corp. (Vested.ca) is an equity crowdfunding website that provides private start-up companies a platform on which they can list, promote, and collect funds for their projects. Vested.ca allows investors easy access to participate in start-up campaigns and empowers private companies to improve their reach to more investors through Crowdfunding Exemptions. For Start-up companies looking to list on a public market, the crowdfunding exemption can provide the required investor distribution for a public listing. Distribution can be achieved quickly, easily and inexpensively. Equity (or “securities�) crowdfunding is the process by which a business can raise money through a large number of small investments. Equity crowdfunding is different from other, more established forms of crowdfunding in that equity crowdfunding specifically involves the issuance of securities.
admin@vested.ca (604) 283-1622
FINANCIAL IMPACT
OF A REVERSE TAKEOVER WITH A
SHELL CORPORATION
8 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
ONE OF THE popular ways for private companies to obtain a listing status on the Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE”) is through a reverse takeover (“RTO”) with an existing listed entity. The most common version of an RTO is when a private operating entity merges with a listed (more or less) shell corporation, effected by way of exchange of equity interests, which typically results in owners of the private entity gaining control of the combined entity after the transaction. Understanding how the financial records of the resulting combined entity shape up is an essential factor for the leadership of the private entity to gauge the breadth of such a transaction. It is however often overlooked amidst other regulatory requirements. The International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) and its interpretation, provides specific guidance around this area, which is the subject of this piece. Despite the public shell corporation issuing shares, from an accounting perspective these transactions are considered to be capital transactions of the private entity looking to obtain the listing status of the non-operating shell corporation. They are therefore
Submitted by Avisar
ICO’S— THE NEW
CROWDFUNDING PLATFORM: CAUTION, SPEEDBUMP By AHEAD
ROBERT SUTTIE
AS REPORTED by the Globe and Mail on October 23 2017, the Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC”) has approved an Initial Coin Offering (“ICO”), to TokenFunder, representing its first foray into the land of crypto crowdfunding. Responding to the markets appetite for ICO based financing, and the inherent need to develop a regulatory framework within which they will operate, the Canadian Securities Administrators has instituted a twelve month exemption to TokenFunder from the requirement to register as a securities dealer. This funding platform is not without risk. The underlying cryptocurrencies issued in conjunction with ICO’s may not be classified as securities. They do not convey ownership rights of a company, as is the case with the more traditional common shares, warrants, or other equity instruments. Instead, they tend to carry with them access rights to a product or platform which has been or will be developed by the issuing company. There is no guarantee the initiative(s) will ever be completed or commercially viable. Furthermore, ICO’s remain in regulatory purgatory while governments, securities commissions and exchanges struggle to understand the ICO model and how best to fairly regulate it. When a company undertakes to complete an ICO, it creates its own cryptocurrency and sells a portion of it under the terms of the ICO. In a perfect situation, the company builds its platform, is commercially accepted, and demand for their digital currency surges, resulting in an appreciation of value for those holding their digital currency. Cryptocurrencies are designed from the start to share some fundamental characteristics of precious metals. After their initial issuance, the volume of additional cryptocurrency issued in a given series is structured to decline over time, creating what amounts to engineered scarcity. This, coupled with potential success of the underlying platform which forms the basis of the ICO, can generate 12 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
exponential growth in value of the cryptocurrency itself. Perhaps the best known cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, introduced January 3, 2009 demonstrates the pinnacle to which all ICO’s strive to achieve. As of November 7, 2017, each Bitcoin in circulation is valued at CAD$9,510 each, benefiting from a wildly successful platform, and engineered scarcity, coupled with worldwide acceptance as a conveyance and store of value. It’s important to note, however, that Bitcoin was first on the scene in 2009, prior to the explosion of the ICO crowdfunding demand. While Ontario has just now approved its first one, the number of ICO’s worldwide has exploded, showing no signs of slowing any time soon. With so many cryptocurrencies and platforms emerging, it is uncertain what the impact on individual investors will be as engineered scarcity, one of the fundamental pillars of the cryptocurrency model, is challenged by an explosion of digital currency entrants. Bitcoin now finds itself facing challenges as its own success has sparked scrutiny. More and more, digital currencies are utilized as the monetary conveyance of choice for criminal activity. Many countries have begun the process of formulating policy with respect to cryptocurrencies and ICO’s, with a few restricting or banning outright certain cryptocurrency or ICO activity. As these digital currencies exist outside the influence of governmental monetary policy with central banks unable to manage what may soon prove to be a significant element of the money supply, regulatory concern continues to mount. Furthermore, with significant and rapid appreciation in value, comes the question of unsustainable demand, further strengthening the mandate of the regulators. As the OSC blazes its path towards regulating ICO’s in Ontario, investors find themselves faced with opportunity and a degree of uncertainty as the nature and extent of these regulations are as yet unknown.
Submitted by Marrelli Support Services
governance service providers
www.rsdsolutions.com
www.wiklow.com
RSD Solutions is a risk management consulting, training and research firm. RSD partners with corporations and financial institutions facing strategic and financial risk issues from exposures to currency, interest rate and commodity price volatility, customer credit risk and sub-optimal capital structure. Whether you want to develop a corporate risk governance program or risk management evaluation and strategy, or set up a bespoke training program, RSD provides experienced professionals and appropriate tools. We provide your company with the equivalent of a highly experienced risk management team at lower cost, thus enabling you to focus on your core business.
Wiklow Corporate Services is an outsourced corporate secretarial service and experts in keeping public companies in compliance with securities commission and stock exchange requirements. Since 1996, they have been helping companies in the resource, financial, technology and service sectors to keep up with the daily demands on public companies, as well as keeping them up-to-date on relevant issues, policies and working practices. They offer a broad range of corporate secretarial services on a cost-effective monthly contract or on an hourly rate on an as-needed basis.
Contact RSD Solutions: Rick Nason rnason@rsdsolutions.com (902) 441-4102
Contact Wiklow Corporate Services: Donna Moroney dmoroney@wiklow.com (604) 696-4236
CORPORATE SECRETARIAL SERVICES
Let Wiklow Corporate Services be your guide through the complex world of regulatory compliance. We have over 30 years of experience and knowledge to assist you with your public company reporting requirements at a reasonable and affordable rate.
Personalized service Attention to detail Timely response
Economical, efficient and effective corporate compliance services including:
Corporate Secretarial Board and Committee Meetings Customized corporate compliance calendar Review and monitor corporate governance policies Annual and special shareholder meetings Board Portals TSX / TSX.V / CSE filing applications
ONE STOP FILING SERVICES:
News Release Dissemination SEDAR Filings SEDI Filings EDGAR Filings TSX SecureFile TSX-V Forms CSE Forms OTCIQ
Wiklow Corporate Services Inc.
5626 Larch Street, Suite 202, 5626 Larch Street, Vancouver, BC V6M 4E1 Tel: 604.696.4236 Email: dmoroney@wiklow.com
CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1 | 13
14 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
governance service providers cont’d
www.canaglobecompliance.com
www.dsacorp.ca
As consultants, we can often fulfill your corporate secretary functions more efficiently and economically than employees who may be less familiar with these types of administrative duties. As compliance and governance specialists, we offer a personalized service designed specifically for small to mid-sized corporations.You can count on us to coordinate all aspects of your board and committee meetings including sending notices, agendas, circulating materials and resolutions, taking meeting minutes and more. Contact us today to tailor a complete corporate secretary package or choose from our individual services including board administration, SEDAR and SEDI filings and whistleblowing.
DSA Corporate Services Inc. (DSA) offers outsourced corporate secretarial services tailored to match the needs of small to mid-sized reporting issuers. These services range from providing recording secretaries for Board & Committee meetings to the appointment of one of our senior team members as the full outsourced officer (Corporate Secretary) of the company. DSA Corporate Services also specializes in continuous disclosure regulatory reporting, stock exchange compliance, stock option and warrant administration, annual meeting organization, minute book custody, corporate governance advice, news release dissemination through a range of domestic and global networks, and other specialty services.
Contact CanaGlobe Compliance Services: Suzanne Ferguson info@canaglobecompliance.com (403) 452-8002
Contact DSA Corporate Services: Jo-Anne Archibald jarchibald@dsacorp.ca (416) 848-7744
CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1 | 15
www.momentumpr.com
www.stockhouse.com
Momentum Public Relations is Canada’s premier small-mid cap public and investor relations agency. Through our North American network of institutional analysts, investors and retail investors we create strategies for clients seeking to improve market awareness and shareholder value. Momentum’s team of experienced and professional consultants are specialized in building and maintaining positive corporate imagery and tailor our services to meet the specific needs of our clients Clear, concise and highly effective communication strategies strengthen relationships, provide value and demonstrate the professionalism of our carefully selected clients.
With over 1 Million unique visitors a month, Stockhouse is Canada’s #1 financial portal and one of North America’s largest small-cap investor communities. Stockhouse members and visitors are active and affluent investors who utilize the site to discover new investment opportunities and make successful stock buying decisions. Stockhouse programs go far beyond traditional investor relations by providing an array of tools to enable Issuers to raise awareness and communicate their investment message to a large, targeted and highly engaged community of small-cap investors. For over 18 years and 900 public companies, Stockhouse programs have been proven to generate results.
Contact Momentum PR: info@momentumpr.com (450) 332-6939
Contact Stockhouse: Justin Meiklem justin.meiklem@stockhouse.com (778) 383-1601
“Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing.” -John D. Rockefeller
CONTACT US TO DISCUSS YOUR INVESTOR OUTREACH STRATEGY T: +1 450 332 6939 | E: INFO@MOMENTUMPR.COM | WWW.MOMENTUMPR.COM |
MOMENTUM_PR
CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1 | 17
MARKETING YOUR
PRIVATE PLACEMENT ONLINE ONLINE INVESTOR marketing isn’t just about supporting your stock price—successful companies are now building specific marketing plans for each Private Placement raise. As you approach a financing, consider these questions: How much of my targeted raise amount will come from my “President’s List” and dealer syndicate? If you are confident in hitting the full raise amount, that is great news, but even then, think about your share distribution. When these shares come free trading, what type of pricing support will they see in the market? In addition to bringing in dollars and expanding your shareholder base, marketing your raise gives the extra bonus of greater overall market awareness and branding. Every investor in your private placement can become an active brand evangelist in social media, investor clubs, and online message boards. Ask yourself—is it time to expand our shareholder base? Sure, 18 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
By JUSTIN MEIKLEM
the retail investor can be reactionary, emotional, and irrational, but support in the retail market is usually the only bridge to get you from tightly held strategic shareholders to institutional interest. For early stage public companies, the retail investor is critical. Decide if there should be a retail component in your raise, and if so start building that marketing plan. Remember that attracting investor interest isn’t just about capturing their direct investment today—it is about adding their contact information to your database, and about getting them to start following your company, both online and on social media. Don’t forget—Financings are major milestones—do not miss the opportunity to leverage them as news, especially while the raise is “live”. The mandatory press releases announcing the opening and closing of your raise do not count as marketing!
Submitted by Stockhouse
• How do you find new direct investors? Look to your database first—this includes your email lists, your website traffic, and your social media. Second, itemize the different marketing, newsletter writers and industry coverage touchpoints that you already have. Get them your financing details, and encourage them to distribute the news. Don’t be shy—your company is moving forward, you are taking direct investment, and it needn’t be only Capital Markets insiders “in the know”. • How will exemptions affect your marketing? While the “Accredited Investor” exemption is the most commonly used, the reality is that only 3% of Canadians qualify as Accredited. Even within our online community, which is purely investment based, only 16% self-identify as Accredited. • How do you expand your reach? One option is to include the Investment Dealer exemption, which allows anyone deemed suitable by an IIROC Dealer to be qualified. If your marketing attracts investors who don’t already have a broker, this exemption can lead to new brokerage accounts, which can be a way to “pay back” your supporters on the broker side.
• Another intriguing option is the Offering Memorandum, which allows self-directed, non-Accredited investors to qualify. That means you can cast your marketing net even wider, as literally every investor that can afford the investment within the appropriate jurisdiction becomes your target audience. • Crowdfunding exemptions are designed to allow for maximum marketing reach, but have very low individual investment limits. Crowdfunding exemptions are best suited for early stage, private company funding, not multi-million dollar public company raises. Based on CEO feedback, there is value to the crowdfunding exemption, but it is more about broader exposure than raising hard dollars. If you want to leverage both the traditional exemptions and the reach of the internet, consider an online deal portal that specializes in pubco private placements.
Every financing is a valuable marketing opportunity to create news flow and to get on investors’ radars. Decide what your investor targets are, make a plan, and leverage every distribution outlet available to you.
CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1 | 19
HARNESSING
SOCIAL MEDIA TO REACH RETAIL INVESTORS
20 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
AS MANY market participants are aware, the methods in which effective investor relations campaigns are conducted are constantly changing. For years, the assumption was that all a company needed was a phone bank with a lead list of investor phone numbers and a recent press release or corporate update to catch the attention of potential investors and pique their interest. In today’s digital world, the smile-and-dial approach of yesteryear is antiquated and is now regarded as ineffective and inefficient. In the current investment landscape, retail investors and institutional investors alike spend a sizeable portion of their day online, just like anyone else. They may open their Facebook page first thing in the morning for news, or check their Twitter feed at lunch for updates. With our smartphones and connected devices within arm’s’ reach at all times, these technologies have gone further than changing social interactions, and have even begun to influence the way investors uncover investment opportunities. So, if a large portion of potential investors are using social media platforms to find news and connect with people, why not harness the power of social media to connect with potential investors and provide company news or updates? It may not surprise you that retail investors’ trading decisions are influenced by social media. What is surprising however,
Submitted by Viride Investor Relations
DID YOU
is that “80% of institutional investors use social media as part of their regular work flow, and approximately 30% of these investors say information obtained through social media has directly influenced an investment recommendation or decision,� according to a recent study from Greenwich Associates. Today, investment decisions are made because an investor has received multiple pieces of information from a variety of sources that they know and trust. As retail investors make more and more investment decisions on their own, without the assistance of an advisor, there has been a growing demand for online communities and crowdsourced investment insights where they can have open discussions about various investments with fellow traders. While there are handfuls of investor forums out there, social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn still reign supreme when it comes to targeting and reach. The ability to target followers of similar/competing companies coupled with the unrivalled user bases that these platforms possess make them ideal weapons for any investor relations warchest. Modern investor relations campaigns require bidirectional communication, and that’s what makes these social media platforms even more useful. Not only can you share information to existing and potential investors, but you can also glean information from the very same people with polls and more. Your IR efforts should constantly be adapting to the ways that investors are gathering their information, and social media is no exception. Be sure to consult an expert though, as both IIROC and the SEC have complex rules governing such communications.
KNOW 91% 2social ormedia more channels of retail brands use
There are
3.03 billion
active social media users People aged
55-64
are more than twice as likely to engage with
branded content than those 28 or younger
Source: brandwatch.com
CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1 | 21
ARE YOU PROTECTED AGAINST
CYBER SECURITY ATTACKS?
NO ONE THINKS it’s going to be them. Until it is. According to the movies, cybercriminals operate out of abandoned warehouses, target carefully selected conglomerates and use things like “worms” and “keys” to gain access. The reality, however, is that cybercriminals, using scattergun techniques like phishing, are not out for world domination but rather a more familiar motive: money. In 2016, 24% of breaches targeted financial organizations, 15% healthcare, 12% public sector entities and 15% targeted retail and accommodations*. Whether it’s design plans, medical records or good, old-fashioned payment card details—someone, somewhere will see it as their meal ticket. Organizations need to build a strong security posture by implementing strategies that address internal and external threats across 24 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
the entire chain. It is critical to start from the premise that systems will be breached. This perspective enhances the effectiveness of decision making related to preventing, mitigating and recovering from a breach. Another recent development makes this a pressing imperative. Canada’s new Digital Privacy Act has introduced mandatory breach notification. In 2017organizations will be required to notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, as well as the individuals affected, if the organization experiences the loss or theft of personal identifiable information that puts these people at “real risk of significant harm.” Failing to do so could result in fines of up to $100,000 per offence. This comes as part The Digital Privacy Act (formerly referred to as Bill S-4) that was put into effect in June 2015.
Submitted by MNP
The Investing News NetworkÂŽ (INN) publishes InvestingNews. com as a destination web site for the investment community. We provide independent, trusted news and education for investors in over 40 targeted categories. For investors who are comfortable taking the next step, we offer the opportunity to connect with trusted companies providing investment opportunities. For these trusted companies, we connect them with investors who are educated in the specific opportunities in that niche and who are ready to engage. Investors can analyze 40 specialized investment segments including gold, silver, graphite, uranium, lithium, cannabis, medical devices, biotech, cloud computing, and blockchain.
On January 19, 2017, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) published Multilateral Staff Notice 11-332, stating that they expect issuers to provide risk disclosure that is as detailed and entity specific as possible, should they determine that a cyber security risk is a material risk. In order to determine materiality, the cyber security incident requires analyzing and the probability of a breach occurring and the anticipated magnitude of its effect needs to be determined. The CSA expects issuers to disclose specific risks, rather than generic risks common to all issuers, and they expect issuers to tailor their disclosure of cyber security risks to the particular circumstance. Underestimating risks leaves enterprises highly vulnerable. Poor security can lead to painful, even catastrophic, financial and reputational losses. Moreover, data breaches and other security incidents put not just individual companies, but entire supply chains, at risk. The following are three steps to build a robust security posture that will support the goals and resilience of your organization, and assist you in determining your cyber security risk.
This content is rolled up from the niche channels to provide broader context on overview sites. These sites include: Cannabis Investing News, Life Science Investing News, Technology Investing News, Resource
CHRIS SMITH Partner csmith@investingnews.com Vancouver (Head Office): 604.688.8231 Toronto: 647.956.5218 San Francisco: 415.223.7540 New York: 646.308.7929
CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1 | 25
5
POWERPOINT TIPS: WE’RE SEEING somewhat of a rally in the markets with most sectors experiencing upward movement. Analysts we interview are quite bullish on the markets and this bodes well for the micro cap executives pitching their stories to investors. This leads me to the topic this month: creating the best presentation. For you savvy IROs and CEOs, PowerPoint hasn’t changed much in the past decade, but it seems many executives are getting it wrong. At a recent trade show, I sat in on several presentations and was shocked at how dismal most them were. This plight led me to create 5 PowerPoint Tips on building a strong presentation.
TIP
1
TIP
2
HOOK:
Author Sam Horn shared something with me that we implemented in our client branding and it’s been infinitely helpful. She called it “The Eyebrow Test.” If what I say to you doesn’t make you lean in and raise your eyebrows, then I’ve lost you. If you’re confused, you’re not buying. Test your pitch using this method.
VISUAL:
Use 1-2 pictures or a video snippet to illustrate your business. A picture is worth a thousand words, and according to Forrester Research, one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words.
By TAYLOR THOEN
28 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
Submitted by BTV
TIP
3 10, 20, 30 RULE:
Popular blogger, Guy Kawaski presents a very valid case when he vocalized this rule. Because most of your presentations are to investors, you’ll want to be concise, clear and avoid industry verbiage. There’s a reason why journalists write for a grade 6 level—it’s simple to understand and share. This is the goal. 10 slides with the following topics: • Problem • Your solution • Business model • Underlying magic/technology • Marketing and sales • Competition • Team • Projections and milestones • Status and timeline • Summary and call to action
TIP
4
TIP
5
10, 20, 30 RULE continued:
10, 20, 30 RULE continued again:
You should speak no more than 20 minutes, or 2 minutes a slide. This leaves you ample time for questions and further explanations regarding your technology, geology, biology, etc. If you’re slated to speak for only 10 minutes, then trim your slides to 1 minute each or combine a few of them.
This refers to your font—it should be no smaller than 30 point font! This forces you to choose words that are more efficient and eliminate fluff and technical jargon that so often appears in presentations. I couldn’t read most of the font at that tradeshow, and I was positioned in the middle of the room. And I’ve had laser eye surgery.
Remember, clarity and brevity are beautiful. We often use our Office Manager for our litmus test when creating TV spots for clients. If she raises her eyebrows and leans in, then
we know we’ve got her. If she’s furrowing her brows, then we go back to the drawing board. It’s that simple. Good luck with your next presentation; I hope you make it powerful.
CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1 | 29
How much assistance? A typical IR budget for a microcap stock is in the range of $100,000 per year. This includes travel to meet investors and investment professionals, participation in a handful of carefully chosen events, digital outreach to keep the story live 24 hours a day, and perhaps an external IR firm to bring an instant base of interested parties. If you are sufficiently mature as a corporation, an internal IR manager might be a consideration. And… we’re already closing in on $200,000. A lot of money, right? Wel l, if a $200,000 outlay adds to your market capitalization by $3 million (6 cents per share assuming 50 million shares outstanding), few will argue the money was not well spent. Especially if you plan to raise equity capital anytime soon. Add in satisfied investors and better sleep at night, and it really is a prudent decision.
You’ll need people you can trust to guide you in putting your strategy together. There are plenty of hands who will take your money—ask around to make sure you team up with the ones who follow through with the promised effort. And while a company needs to be connecting with existing and prospective shareholders regularly, only spend money on a full suite of resources when you have the corporate developments to really leverage them. A prevented sell has the same value as a buy. Inform your existing shareholders with regular written updates, media interviews, and an increasingly popular tool—video. Complement important press releases with a brief video explaining your latest results, how your process works, or what your new facility looks like inside. Let shareholders look the CEO in the eye online and take his or her measure.
A favorite related story involves a company whose stock was stuck between $0.50 and $0.80. Management put tremendous effort into investor relations, but no matter how hard they tried they could not break through $0.80. One day, on meeting number 200+, the company met an analyst who got the story right away and encouraged their trading desk to begin buying the stock in size. It was not long before the stock broke through $0.80…on its way to more than $3.00. The point is that if you have a good company, there are investors out there who will see what you see, adopt your vision and back you with money. But connecting with them is a numbers game. Reach out to a few dozen people and you will have to be very lucky to find backers. Reach out to a thousand and your odds can start to look pretty good.
CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1 | 31
www.marketonemedia group.com
Market One Media Group is Canada’s leading marketing agency in content creation and distribution for public companies. We provide media and marketing solutions to public companies, financial institutions, media and market research newsletters. Through our publisher relationships, clients are able to enjoy distribution and exposure on Canada’s most Credible financial platforms such as BNN Bloomberg, The Globe and Mail, Financial Post, in broadcast, digital, and print. In addition, through our social media management service, we create tailored content and place it on influential social media circles, listen, engage, measure and imbed calls to action.
INTERESTED? CONTACT US.
info@marketonemediagroup.com
(604) 428-2125
6 STEPS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE 34 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
THE MEDIA landscape has been completely changed with the impact of technology. Currently, it is incumbent upon companies and organizations to create their own media. Social media is a popular channel for private companies to reach a larger audience—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, FourSquare, you name it. Gone are the days where companies compete for top spots in yellow pages or paying massive premiums for radio ads. The situation is a lot more complex for publicly traded companies that are heavily regulated. However, with meticulous and proper planning, your public companies can benefit massively from the wide exposure gained from
Submitted by Uptick Media
advertising on various social media platforms. Specifically, LinkedIn and Twitter are two platforms that are usually very popular and well received by shareholders and investors of public companies. Depending on the industry, Facebook and Instagram can be very helpful as well, especially for companies that have a lot of B2C business. Facebook alone accounts for one in every six minutes spent on the internet. One in every five minutes spent on smartphones are
also attributed to Facebook. Close to half of all college graduates are LinkedIn users. Over 45% of all adults who make more than $75,000 annually are on LinkedIn. Over 88% of businesses with more than 100 employees use Twitter for communication, marketing and advertising. Here is a six-step process we have derived for maximize your social media efforts.
STEP
1
RESEARCH
Find out who are talking about your company, and how. Are there any misconceptions of your business model? Are employees sharing information on the world wide web? Always remember a cohesive social media plan should be very comprehensive. Setup alerts that track the online mentions of your company and your key executives. You will quickly find out about what people say about your company on the internet.
STEP
4
STEP
3 STEP
2
ESTABLISH A BASIC PRESENCE
Make sure you secure your company’s accounts on all the major social media platforms. This is a great opportunity for your company to have a positive brand presence on the internet when people search for your name.
If you decide to be proactive in managing your social media, you will need to figure out how much of an engagement level would you like to upkeep. While social media can be a great channel to keep your investors and key partners updated between earnings announcements, it is not necessarily worthy of an official press release. You can use your social media platforms to share press release headlines, key messages from your earnings calls, answer questions, publish white papers and offer seminars.
5
Once you understand how social media can integrate with your business, you can develop a plan to achieve your objectives, and figure out how that would connect with your overall business goals. The conversation online will go on either you participate or not. Hence, if your plan is to simply continue to monitor the internet, you should at least create a social media policy.
STEP
STEP
ENGAGEMENT
DEVELOP A PLAN
INTEGRATION
Integrate your social media platforms with your digital investor relations platform (website). The website should be a hub of information that is detailed and useful. Provide regular updates of content on the site, and push the content to your social media accounts. The more your investors visit your website (also via your social media platforms), the more they will think of your website as the first source of information. Inform website visitors which social media platforms your company is active on.
6
MEASUREMENT
The real value of social media programs can be measured with several metrics, gauging its progress. Many Softwareas-a-Service platforms provide subscribers with analytical packages, which help you establish a baseline, target audience, and follow social media user trends over time.
Should you have any questions or if you are interested in Uptick’s Social Media Program, please do not hesitate to contact Terry Tremaine at: (604) 202-7841 or terryttremaine@gmail.com. CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1 | 35
news dissemination service providers
Blender Media is an award-winning digital agency and a leader in investor marketing in North America. With 14 years of experience, Blender has worked with over 400 public companies in mining, cannabis, energy, tech and healthcare. We specialize in corporate and IR websites, investor presentations, branding and digital advertising. With a support team on call to assist, manage and inform about the evolving regulatory landscape, we aim to set up our clients for success.
40 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
www.TheNewswire.com Free Press Release!! TheNewswire. com is the most cost-effective press release distribution service in North America, offering Annual Unlimited premium flat-rate distribution (All Canada & US) for just $1,250. (yes, Annual Unlimited means Unlimited press releases Yearly). Or just $250 per press release—unlimited words & pages. And we always a FREE PRESS RELEASE TRIAL—zero obligation—as a means of allowing potential clients to gauge our services firsthand. 2018 is our 12th Anniversary and if you require testimony, our greatest Ambassadors are our 400+ existing clients. Contact TheNewswire.com: pat@thenewswire.com 1 (877) 456-6241
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THE BENEFITS OF
CROSSTRADING IN THE UNITED STATES
FOR MANY Canadian companies, the successful listing of their security represents an important milestone. It’s a sign of recognition, prestige and success, demonstrating to the market a desire to be open and transparent. There are many reasons why a company may choose to list its shares—to raise capital, increase its valuation and diversify its shareholder base. But many companies are unaware that there are limitations as to what can be achieved by solely listing in Canada. They may not be cognizant of the fact that many U.S. investors are unwilling or unable to invest in foreign markets, and that the information they make available locally may not be widely-available to U.S investors. So, what is the best way to bridge this gap and access the world’s largest market for capital expansion and growth? Cross-trading. There are numerous benefits to Cross-Trading in the U.S: • Diversifying your shareholder base • Making your financial information, research, pricing, and risk assessment more broadly available to U.S. investors • Appealing to those investors who prefer securities traded domestically ($USD) • Enhancing visibility among broker dealers by supporting broker and sell-side compliance A national exchange, such as NYSE or Nasdaq, may be perceived to be the natural home and fit for most foreign issuers looking to access a deep pool of institutional investors. However, foreign issuers, 44 | CSE - Ser vice Providers Issue 1
such as those in Canada, are subject to U.S. exchange requirements and different accounting standards that can become duplicative, time-consuming and cost-prohibitive for global IROs with limited budgets. On the contrary, cross-trading on the OTC Market allows a company to leverage its existing reporting standards to make its disclosure available in the U.S. The simplified requirements to trade OTC remove duplication, are less-resource intensive and require fewer expensive experts. This secondary trading solution helps to remove trading restrictions and complements the company’s home market reporting process. In turn, a company improves its ability to maximize shareholder value, achieve better visibility and a fair valuation in the U.S. public market, while increasing the effectiveness of its investor relations program. Cross-trading also presents both Canada and the US with reciprocal opportunities for issuers to enhance market liquidity, creating additional investing opportunities in a company’s home market and abroad. Providing a cost-effective trading environment in which to raise capital and build global investor awareness. In addition to cross-trading, OTC Markets Group Inc. and the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) recently developed a first-ofits-kind North American capital formation and visibility solution for start-ups looking to go public. This alliance offers issuers the benefits of the IPO listing on the CSE, combined with secondary trading on OTC Markets’ OTCQX Best Market/OTCQB Venture Market. This affords investors and the broker dealer community greater access to a breadth of financial information, increased global investing opportunities and more efficient trading of international issuers shares. Simple processes and fixed fee structures remove many of the barriers of cost, time and complexity typically associated with going public on an exchange. Helping companies bridge the gap and expand their footprint—paving the way for capital expansion and growth.
Submitted by OTC Markets Group
REVIEWING YOUR COMPANY’S
COMMUNICATION
POLICY
WHEN WAS the last time your board reviewed the company’s communication policy? When the company needs to communicate information, whether internally or externally, who handles it? Do you have a process in place to ensure that your message is clear and that it reaches its intended audience? What about shareholder, stakeholder or media inquiries, is there a designated person who responds to such inquiries and does everyone in the company know what to do if they are approached for a comment about your company or the services that you provide? As a board, company communications can be a tricky subject to oversee, particularly in today’s technologically advanced world where things can be disseminated in an instant. When you have good news to report or are promoting an exciting event, it seems much easier to maintain control of the message and find a welcoming, receptive audience. But when you need to communicate a difficult message to shareholders, stakeholders or the public this is when you will really benefit from having a communication policy with a well-defined process in place. Following are some of the key items for your board to consider when developing or reviewing your communication policy: • Who the policy applies to—i.e. officers, directors, employees and consultants • Who will draft, implement and periodically review the policy for effectiveness? • Who will be responsible for preparing the communication? Will it be done by an individual or by a pre-determined committee? Are there any particular circumstances when the responsibility may change? • How will the information be disseminated, via a newswire service, an internal communication list/newsletter/blog or other method? • Who will be designated to respond to inquiries? • Will the communication policy include electronic communication such as email and social media or will that require a separate policy?
A communication policy is important for all companies. It helps to build a strong, consistent image both internally and externally and is critical in protecting your reputation. If your board hasn’t adopted or reviewed the communication policy lately you may want to suggest that it be added to the next agenda for discussion.
Submitted by CanaGlobe Compliance Solutions
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